GI: I’d rather clear my name than settle

American Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, the principal accused in the rape of a Filipino woman in Subic last year, declared he would rather have his name cleared of the charges than agree to a settlement of the case.

"If there was an attempt to settle, I don’t want to get into that kind of technicality. I want my name to be cleared. I’m being accused of what I feel is the worst thing anybody can be accused of," Smith said in an interview with GMA 7’s "24 Oras" newscast last night.

Smith, one of the four American soldiers accused in the rape case, made it plain during the interview that he would never agree to a settlement with "Nicole," as the victim is publicly known, in exchange for dropping the case.

Smith made the declaration as the mother of Nicole turned over a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) detailing how the government prosecutors in the case tried to work out a settlement with the accused Americans.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez ordered a further investigation into the allegations made by Nicole’s mother.

In a two-page sworn statement, the victim’s mother claimed Senior State Prosecutor Emilie Fe de los Santos had promised Nicole a new life in America as part of an out-of-court amicable settlement.

The victim’s mother claimed De los Santos invited them to a meeting in a coffee shop in Makati City last July 17 to discuss the proposed settlement with the accused US Marines.

In that meeting, Nicole’s mother claimed De los Santos told her that the family of the four US Marines wanted to settle the case with them. — With Jose Rodel Clapano